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2014 Oakland Gameday HQ

FIELDING
The Twins are usually a reliable defensive team, and that shouldn’t
change. Mauer has to make the adjustment from catcher to first; stretching
for tight outs and digging bouncers out of the dirt. But he already started
making the transition last year and was a Gold Glover behind the plate, so
it shouldn’t take long. Dozier is one of the best defensive second basemen
in the AL, and shortstop Pedro Florimon and third baseman Trevor Plouffe
are pretty reliable. As for the outfield, they don’t make many mistakes
(three errors last year).
STARTING PITCHING
This is where the Twins spent most of their money in the offseason,
and their success largely hinges on how well the starting unit performs.
Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes were both brought in to bolster a starting
unit that produced the worst ERA (5.26) in all of baseball. Both Nolasco
and Hughes have been successful in the majors before (Nolasco won 15
games with the Marlins, Hughes won 18 games with the Yankees), and
the Twins are banking on their ability to return to form. Kevin Correia and
Mike Pelfrey have also shown promise in the past but both are coming
off down years.
RELIEF PITCHING
The Twins return the core of a bullpen that was one of the few bright
spots in 2013. Former starter Glen Perkins, a lefty, is coming off an All-Star
season where he saved 36 games and had a 2.30 ERA. Jared Burton and
Casey Fien also proved reliable in the late innings, throwing career-highs
of 66 and 62 innings respectively. Samuel Deduno could provide another
strong arm to the pen and can be used in the starting rotation, and Caleb
Thielbar is a solid situational lefty who doesn’t give up many hits.
MANAGING
Despite losing 90-plus games for a third straight season, the Twins
gave manager Ron Gardenhire a two-year extension through 2015 in
the off season. It was a surprising move considering the wide-spread
speculation that Gardenhire was finished after last year. But he has
earned leeway, having led Minnesota since 2002, AKA the glory years.
General manager Terry Ryan hasn’t done much to make Gardenhire’s job
any easier. But for a small-market team, developing and maximizing talent
is paramount, so if Gardenhire can’t get that done soon, changes will be
coming in Minnesota.
Joe Mauer
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